Ron Artest does not do things half way. Not on the court — if he is after you defensively he is Pit Bull relentless. Not off the court, which the many tales of his youthful imbibing can attest to.

And not with charity work.

We told you recently Artest was appearing with congresswoman Grace F. Napolitanoto to promote her Mental Health in Schools Act Well that was not just lip service, and he is not just putting his money where his mouth is.

He is putting his championship ring there.

Artest will set up a specialized auction where he will give his ring to the winner. Artest will never wear it, there will be a ceremony the night he gets his ring and he will turn it over to the high bidder, as he told Scott Howard Cooper of NBA.com.

“You work so hard to get a ring, and now you have a chance to help more people than just yourself, instead of just satisfying yourself,” he said. “What’s better than that? For me, this is very important…”

“For five years, I’ve been wanting to do this psychology-type of assistance, but I never had an outlet where I could make a big impact, as far as where the most people could see it. It was always like maybe 10 or 20 people seeing what we were doing. The idea came from when I was in Sacramento. I had marriage counseling. I also had anger management. It just made me think that counseling is not something generic. …

As we said before, it may make an easy joke but this is a great cause for Artest. Remember he thanked his psychologist from the podium after Game 7, and therapy seemed to help him come to terms with his demons. He is more mature now (well, except when cited for driving around lately).

People will listen. Maybe somebody who saw a stigma with therapy will seek some help they need. Maybe the money raised will help bring therapy to a school and to a child that otherwise would not have had that outlet.

Not many people would make the level of sacrifice that Artest is willing to. But that’s Artest, when he believes in something he is all in.

I don’t remember playing tonight. I didn’t play. Guys get a lot of money to be ready to play. No Knute Rockne speeches. It’s your job. If you’re a plumber and you don’t do your job, you don’t get any work. I don’t think a plumber needs a pep talk. If a doctor botches operations, he’s not a doctor anymore. If you’re a basketball player, you come ready. It’s called maturity. It’s your job.

Like it or not, motivation is part of an NBA coach’s job.

But that’s also precisely what Popovich is doing.

His credentials dwarf any other coach’s. He can play to his own ego and absolve himself of responsibility – and players will seek to please him. His years of success have earned him the ability to motivate this way, a method no other coach could use without alienating his team.

So, why not hold Motiejunas to what became a four-year, $31 million offer sheet once matched? Houston got something in return – a later trigger date on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ 2017-18 salary. Originally, that decision had to be made March 1 – which would’ve meant dropping Motiejunas from the team this season to prevent his salary from counting next season. Now, the Rockets can make that call in July, after this season is complete.

The following two Julys, Houston will also have a choice on guaranteeing Motiejunas’ upcoming salary or dropping him.

Essentially, Motiejunas is signing the most lucrative Hinkie Special in NBA history. If he plays well and stays healthy, the Rockets have Motiejunas at an affordable rate. If he struggles or his back injuries flare up, they can drop him with little to no penalty.

After they backed themselves into this corner, Motiejunas and his agent, B.J. Armstrong, didn’t do so bad. Considering the similarity between this contract and the Nets’ original offer sheet, it seems Houston helped Armstrong save face after a bungled free agency (which is easier to accept when you’re adding a talented reserve to a formidable team).

But for how little is guaranteed and how much control the Rockets hold over the next four years, wouldn’t Motiejunas have been better off accepting the $4,433,683 qualifying offer?

This means Motiejunas can’t sign with the Nets, who signed him to the original offer sheet, for one year.

I bet it also means Motiejunas and Houston have agreed to a new contract. Otherwise, why release him from the offer sheet? The Rockets would be giving up a tremendous amount of leverage out of the goodness of their hearts – unless this is just a prelude to a new deal with Houston.